Who Is Truth?

One of the most profound questions in scripture can be found in John 18.

In this chapter Jesus is brought before Pilate.

In verse 38, Pilate asks this question.

John 18:38 (NET) - Pilate asked, “What is truth?”

That question is just as profound today.

Perhaps more so.

In today’s world, truth is considered a relative concept.

It has been stated that what is truth for one, may not be truth for another.

This is impossible as truth, by its very essence, means it must be absolute rather than relative.

As I tell my students: The truth is the truth… and that is that.

Perhaps the better question to ask is: “Who is truth?”

That is the explanation Christ gave Pilate just before the question was asked.

John 18:37 (NET) - …Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world—to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Jesus is the source of truth.

He said it here and elsewhere.

John 14:6 (NET) - Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

That’s as absolute as it gets.

John 1:14 (NET) - Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory—the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father.

Understanding that Jesus is truth and this truth is not relative is important.

What of it?

What does this achieve?

A great deal, actually,

This sets us free.

John 8:32 (NET) - and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Freedom?

From what?

Will life suddenly be trouble free?

Jesus was clear on this as well.

Matthew 16:24 (NET) - Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

Jesus never promised us an easy way through this world.

But He told us He is the truth and what is required of us.

And… life is certainly better with Him than without Him.

What of those who disagree with us?

Jesus told us that we must love them.

That is also true.

We do not have to agree with everyone.

To do so makes truth relative.

We must be willing to take a stand for the truth.

But… we must do so with love.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, October 25, 2019.

I’ll be back here on Friday, November 1, 2019

An Imaginary Conversation with My Father

Psalm 103:13 (NET) - As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers.

Sunday is Father’s Day.

I wondered what it might be like if I could but sit down with my father once more and seek his wisdom.

My father was born almost a hundred years ago.

He died several decades ago while he was still a relatively young man.

I thought about how much things have changed since he was born.

I also thought about how much things have changed since he died.

Although some of the changes were beneficial a great may were not.

I tried to imagine what advice he might give me concerning today’s problems.

I began by remembering him the way he was the last time I saw him.

I have now reached the age my father was when he died

So, that is how I pictured us; two men of identical age but from different eras.

I imagined us seated side by side as I told him of the problems of today.

I imagined him listening to every word before he would impart his fatherly wisdom.

I told him about corruption in government.

I told him about the amount of dishonesty in business.

I told him about the persecution that still goes on in the world.

I told him about the hatred some clung to rather than embracing love.

I told him about how some chose to hold onto old grudges rather than forgive.

I told him how some people preferred to live in in ignorance and confusion rather than seeking the truth.

I told him how that same truth was often repressed once it was discovered.

I told him about greed and injustice.

I told him all these things and more.

Then, I imagined myself waiting expectantly for some pearl of wisdom that would help me cope with today’s reality.

I also imagined that my father had no immediate reply.

I then added, “One more thing, Dad. The world seems to have less faith in God with every passing day.”

At that I pictured my father smiling.

I imagined him speaking to me as he did my in childhood.

I envisioned him placing his hand on my shoulder as he said, “Son, that is exactly why the world has these problems.”

Proverbs 22:6 (NET) - Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

A Slippery Slope

The book of Exodus describes for us that body of law that is best known as “The Ten Commandments”.

Each commandment is about relationships.

Some are about our relationship with God.

The rest are about our relationship with others.

Although I have read these commandments a number of times over the years, my thoughts lately seem to keep turning to one in particular.

Exodus 20:17 (NET) - "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet you neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor."


I think there are two reasons why my thoughts keep turning to this one in particular.

First, failure to keep this commandment can cause us to break additional commandments that damage relationships with others..

For example, a man who covets his neighbor's possession could be more easily tempted to steal that possession.

Second, a breach of this commandment can seriously damage our relationship with God.

God expects to have top priority in our lives.

In coveting something so badly, a man can displace God from His rightful place and give that which is coveted priority instead.

When that happens, a man is guilty of committing idolatry.

If you think about it, covetousness is what led to the Fall in the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 3:4-5 (NET) - The serpent said to the woman, "Surely you will not die, for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be open and you will be like divine beings who know good and evil."


Eve and consequently Adam desired to be like God.

God is the creator and man is but the created.

It was this unnatural desire of being like God that caused their expulsion from Eden.

By acting on this impulse, the relationship between mankind and God was forever changed.

Things are certainly not any easier today.

Think about how much of the world's economy is based on the act of coveting.

What would happen to the economy if people stopped desiring more extravagant possessions than their neighbor has?

Almost every television commercial and printed advertisement is aimed at this particular human weakness that has been present in every generation.

Even some of the television programs themselves now serve as case studies in greed.

It may not be easy to avoid covetousness, but there is someone we can turn to to help us overcome it.

Hebrews 2:18 (NET) - For since He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted.


That is a promise we can count on.

We cannot escape temptation completely.

Such is the nature of both man and the world we live in.

Yet with His help we can overcome it.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Reflections on Christmas

In less than one week we will celebrate Christmas Day.

It has been said that the day Jesus was born forever changed the world.

Looking back, the change must have been so great that mankind made His life the most historic point of reference.

Historians now divide the time between the periods BC and AD.

Centuries before His birth the prophets foretold of His arrival.

When He arrived, those prophecies were fulfilled but certainly not in the way many had imagined it would.

His place of birth was not a palace but rather a stable.

His earthly parents were not people of wealth and power but rather those of faith.

The news of His birth was not announced to society's elite but rather to humble shepherds out in the field.

This was indeed a day that changed world.

Or was it?

Roughly 2,000 years have come and gone since that day and the world still experiences the same problems today as it did then.

Problems like war, poverty, famine and ignorance still exist.

To the unbeliever, this is justification for a lack of faith.

The believer, however, realizes that we still live in a fallen world whose inhabitants still desperately need a Savior.

The believer also knows that this fallen world has such a Savior in Jesus.

John 3:16 (NET) – For this is the way God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

This is the key.

God loves the world He created..

God loves every person He created in His images and His likeness.

Since we lacked the ability to save ourselves, God loves us enough to give His one and only Son in order that we be saved.

Yet, there is a provision. In order to be saved we must believe in Him.

Therefore, it is not the world that was changed by the birth of Jesus,

Rather, it is the lives of those that believe that are changed and changed in incredible ways.

But what of problems like war, poverty, famine and ignorance?

While it is true that these and other conditions still exist, these are now opportunities for the faithful to serve.

Opportunities that will continue to exist until He returns.

Opportunities to reach out, to help and to spread the Good News.

Matthew 9:37-38 (NET) – Then he said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.

One day, the world itself will change.

Revelation 21:1 (NET) – Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more.

What a sight that will be to behold.

Still, there is no sight more beautiful than a life forever changed.

A life that has changed in the only possible way.

A life that has experienced true belief in Jesus.

Christmas is so much more than a celebration of the birth of a child born in humble surroundings.

It is even more than a way in which we reach out to God.

It is a celebration of how God reached down to us to satisfy our greatest need.

Therefore we celebrate not only the birth of Jesus; we also celebrate His life among us and all that He continues to be!

Christmas Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

What Do You Know?

Few things are touted more enthusiastically in our society than "knowledge." Modern technology, which seems to rule the world, is based ultimately on sophisticated mathematics and science.  Millions of people spend or borrow untold billions of dollars to gain an understanding of those things in universities.  Governments spend billions more to finance medical and other scientific research, so that the knowledge acquired can be applied to improve our material lives or, at the extreme, to comb the universe in search of other worlds to explore. One can hardly utter an opinion on any subject without being challenged to back it up with "scientific studies" of some sort.

But in the grand--and eternal--scheme of things, what does this kind of "knowledge" really avail us?  It may improve and even save lives, but can it tell us what the <i>purpose</i> of living is?  The "what" of human knowledge may be growing exponentially, but does it even begin to shed light on the "why"?  Hasn't the practical deification of "science," and the single-minded pursuit of worldly wisdom, distracted or discouraged most people from even starting to consider seriously what destiny, if any, they'll have beyond this life and this world?

These are issues that today's "knowledge"-driven world doesn't really want you to be thinking about, because they lead people to question and search for things higher and better than the World can provide, things the World can't control and often run counter to the priorities of those who dominate it.

Actually, this is nothing new at all.  Just as in Christ's time on the Earth, there is a kingdom that belongs to Ceasar, and one that belongs to God. Ceasar's kingdom is of this world, which will pass away, but God's Kingdom "is not of this world" (John 18:36), but of Eternity; it existed before the world was made, and it will endure forever after this world is gone. That Kingdom is where we came from, and where will be our true and lasting home.

It follows then that the only "knowledge" that truly counts is that which pertains to and helps us toward the eternal ingdom of God; all else, ultimately, is a distraction and vain. And what is the "knowledge" that we should be seeking? I would suggest: what we are; where we came from; what is expected of us here; where we can and should be going from here; and how to get there. The Word of God tells us these things, as we study, pray, and are enlightened and guided by the Holy Spirit.

The duality of our nature, and the dichotomy of man's world as contrasted with God's Kingdom, puts us in a challenginig position.  We have to gain enough worldly knowledge, in school and elsewhere, to function in modern society and take proper care of ourselves and our families. The challenge is to avoid beinig consumed with the pursuit of worldly knowledge and benefits, including the "popularity" that comes with adhering to the morally corrupting conventional "wisdoms" of the day. As is often said, we must be "in the world, but not of the world."  We must always keep God and the things that pertain to His Kingdom and our immortal souls foremost in our lives, and resolve all conflicts between our Heavenly and worldly needs in favor of the former.

Sooner or later, and to a lesser or greater degree, doing so will put us in conflict with the world and provoke derision--or even persecution--by those who have no understanding or regard for spiritual things. As the Apostle Paul observed, "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14)  We can only pity and pray for those people; "for the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."  (1 Corinthians 1:18)  Happily, we know for a certainty that "the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Corinthians 1:25)  Is it not better to be empowered by our eternal, loving God than by a doomed, selfish world?

Knowledge of our Heavenly Father and of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the most precious thing we can attain. Perhaps, as the old adage goes, it's not "what" you know but "Who" that really counts.

Tom Fleming
Songs of Praises